YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER BLOGS BEFORE ME, FOR THE ONE TRUE BLOG IS A JEALOUS BLOG

Monday, October 22, 2012

Maybe I'm A Different Breed, Maybe I'm Not Listening

And while I shall keep silent about some points, I do not want to remain silent about my morality which says to me: Live in seclusion so that you can live for yourself. Live in ignorance about what seems most important to your age. Between yourself and today lay the skin of at least three centuries. And the clamor of today, the noise of wars and revolutions should be a mere murmur for you.

— Nietzsche

Brian raises a fair point in a recent comment: when criticizing an opponent, there's a chance that your criticism may be appropriated and used by other opponents of your opponent, whom you may find even more distasteful, all things considered. All right, but there's also another way to express that concept, one with which most of us will be familiar from recent political history: watch what you say, lest you give aid and comfort to the enemy. Why would you criticize the president when the terrorists are obviously worse? Why do you hate this, that or the other?

Unfortunately, attempting to caricature an opponent's argument or perform a reductio ad absurdum is a time-honored rhetorical practice. But the strategy for navigating such highly charged arguments is the same prosaic one it always is: be as thorough, clear and precise as you can in your communication, be charitable in your interpretation of others, use your best judgment in the frequent absence of certainty, and have faith that eventually, truth will out. Weigh arguments on their merits, not their political utility. Be highly suspicious of anyone who insists on the inevitability of ends that require the means of sacrificing inconvenient truths, especially when the precise nature of those ends and the precise means for reaching them are still very much up for debate. Practice the humility of admitting "I don't know," and don't let anyone else do your thinking for you.

When I insist that I do not consider myself a political animal, I don't simply mean that I'm sick of reading about politicians and elections per se. I mean that I don't primarily identify as a member of any collective movement pursuing sociopolitical goals. I'm not interested in being on anyone's team. I am a Berliner. I am an insignificant individual, neither having nor seeking power or influence, which leaves me free to speak the truth as I see it without having to worry about inconveniencing anyone else's plans or disrupting any fragile coalitions. I take it for granted that the handful of you reading this already share my basic belief that racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. are bad things, and that you aren't here because you need me to reinforce your convictions for you. There are plenty of bloggers who are trying to build a brand, rehearse a shtick, sell you something, or write the same post about the same things that everyone else has already written about. I'm not one of them.

So, when I criticize or mock the acolytes of Atheism+, for example, it's because it amuses me for now. I'm not concerned that by doing so, I'm somehow weakening the foundations of atheism in America, or diminishing all progressive activism by proxy. I'm laughing at a specific group of stupid people saying stupid things, made that much funnier by the fact that atheists — it must be admitted — have a not-completely-undeserved reputation for taking smug pride in their intellects. There's a non-partisan, slapstick humor in watching people like that step on the end of a loose board and take it full in the face. I used to primarily make fun of religious believers, but then that started to feel trite and predictable. Now, there's a certain fascination with watching a mad experiment in group psychology play out right before my eyes. In a few months, assuming anyone still wants to even be associated with the movement, it, too, will likely have become boring, and I'll find something else to occupy my attention.

Most people have enough of a social instinct to want to be involved in whatever's going on. They want to be heeded, respected and included. They feel compelled to keep up with the conversational zeitgeist, which means accepting and using the same heuristics as everyone else. In other words, when they themselves are unsure or ignorant about the details of a particular issue, they allow themselves to be persuaded by authority figures or an atmosphere of collective certainty among the rest of the tribe. (Again, people think differently on their own than they do as part of a group, for reasons that have nothing to do with reason.) To me, it's imperative to avoid any kind of social pressure that could compromise intellectual integrity. If that means being ignored or scorned, so be it.

I would rather be the same taciturn, mildly misanthropic, autism-spectrum-dwelling mofo I am in offline life, moving at my own methodical, tortoise-like pace, scrutinizing details that others deem insignificant and unworthy of their time.

3 comments:

Brian M
said...

I sorta get what you are saying. (And I have no delusions about the importance of internet boards and am quite the loner myself).

My only trepidation remains the sheer nastyness of the MRA people and the trolls. Maybe it is in reaction to the piety of the Atheism + people, but still...anything that at all can be used to support such people (who are also engaged in group thinking, don;t forget). But, I am repeating myself so....

THIS was an interesting perspective. Not pleasant, but truthful w/r/t the reality of human sexuality/history/social mores.

I know that by saying so, I'm outing myself as an apologist for troll culture and a privileged white male, but I long ago accepted that the lunatic fringe always has been and always will be with us. At some point, you've just gotta get on with it and stop letting them dictate your behavior. I agree with the part of Murphy's article where he says that the worst thing you can do for a lot of trolls is give them the attention they so desperately crave.

It's the easiest thing in the world to type a threat to a stranger on the Internet. If it seems credible, report it. Otherwise, ignore it and, for Christ's sake, don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you run straight to your blog or Twitter feed to get upset about it.

I write in my notebook with the intention of stimulating good conversation, hoping that it will also be of use to some fellow traveler. But perhaps my notes are mere drunken chatter, the incoherent babbling of a dreamer. If so, read them as such.

Let Everything That Has Breath Praise The Blog

The One True Blog's prose is immaculate. Scribbs should be an English teacher...Do keep writing; you should get paid for it, but that's hard to find.

—Noel

You are such a fantastic writer! I'm with Noel; your mad writing skills could lead to income.

—Sandi

WOW - I'm all ready to yell "FUCK YOU MAN" and I didn't get through the first paragraph.

—Anonymous

You strike me as being too versatile to confine yourself to a single vein. You have such exceptional talent as a writer. Your style reminds me of Swift in its combination of ferocity and wit, and your metaphors manage to be vivid, accurate and original at the same time, a rare feat. Plus you're funny as hell. So, my point is that what you actually write about is, in a sense, secondary. It's the way you write that's impressive, and never more convincingly than when you don't even think you're writing — I mean when you're relaxed and expressing yourself spontaneously.

—Arthur

Posts like yours would be better if you read the posts you critique more carefully...I've yet to see anyone else misread or mischaracterize my post in the manner you have.

—Battochio

Not at all surprised that you got the kudos for your writing ... you have a tremendous gift in that regard. You write the way people talk.